Minor MLB Transactions: 9/27/16
Here are a few of the latest minor moves from around the game, courtesy of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy:
- The Orioles have brought back righty Franderlyn Romero, amongs other minor league re-signings. Romero, 23, hasn’t exactly prospered since joining the Baltimore organization in an early-season international signing slot swap. The 23-year-old moved up to the High-A level for the first time with his new team, but gave up 96 hits and posted a 6.16 ERA in his 76 frames there, with 6.4 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9.
- The Diamondbacks will take a chance on 25-year-old Mexican southpaw Armando Aguilar on a minor league deal. Per Eddy, Aguilar is a lefty specialist who was quite stingy against same-handed hitters, posting 9.2 K/9 and a 0.99 WHIP in fifty appearances this year for the Mexican League’s Leones de Yucatan.
Quick Hits: Britton, Harper, Ramos, Bregman, McCullers, Rasmus, Abad
Orioles closer Zach Britton has turned in a season to remember, and it’s not all that surprising given his recent excellence. Still, it wasn’t long ago that such a showing seemed highly improbable, as Danny Knobler of Bleacher Report writes. Britton was no lock to make the O’s roster out of camp in 2014, but the refinement of his unbelievable power sinker that year has turned the southpaw into arguably the game’s most dominant reliever. Knobler takes an interesting look at Britton’s transformation as a pitcher, as well as his earlier path toward the majors.
Here are a few more stray notes from around the game:
- Nationals star Bryce Harper suffered a thumb injury that caused some concern, but manager Dusty Baker said tonight that X-rays were negative, as Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com reports (Twitter links). Washington is suddenly facing a variety of significant health concerns as it readies for the NLDS, though at least in Harper’s case the prognosis seems promising. Catcher Wilson Ramos is a new concern after leaving tonight’s game following a play at the plate. He’s due for an MRI tomorrow, the results of which could have huge implications for both the team and his coming run through free agency.
- Burgeoning Astros infielder Alex Bregman could be back sooner than expected after a “leap forward” in his recovery from a hamstring strain, MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reports. Indeed, he could appear as soon as this week. While the timetable isn’t quite as promising for righty Lance McCullers Jr., he might be ready to go for the postseason if Houston can sneak in. Meanwhile, there’s said to be little chance that outfielder Colby Rasmus will return to uniform before qualifying for free agency.
- It’s possible that Red Sox deadline addition Fernando Abad won’t even crack the team’s postseason roster, as Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reports. The veteran southpaw has largely been quite good against opposing lefties since coming to Boston, but he has still coughed nine earned runs with a dozen strikeouts and eight walks in his 12 2/3 innings of work. Though nothing has been decided, manager John Farrell did acknowledge that the club is assessing both Abad and rookie lefty Robby Scott for the postseason pen. Scott, 27, has just six MLB appearances on his ledger, though he has yet to allow a run.
AL East Notes: Trumbo, Red Sox, Bautista, Encarnacion
The latest column from Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports focuses on the league-wide home run surge in 2016. MLB is on pace to set a new record for the most homers in a season on a per-plate-appearance basis. Passan profiles players either experiencing shocking levels of power output (e.g. Brian Dozier, Freddy Galvis) or enjoying a significant rebound in the power department, led by Orioles slugger Mark Trumbo. Acquired in a salary dump with the Mariners, Trumbo’s one-dimensional nature created virtually no trade market for him, Passan notes, and while his power spike will improve his stock this offseason, the one-dimensional questions will still exist. Trumbo is one of baseball’s worst defensive outfielders and has a below-average OBP because he walks less than the prototypical slugger. Still, a much older Nelson Cruz parlayed a 40-homer season into a four-year, $57MM contract, Passan notes, and he came with similar defensive question marks. I’d imagine that a team hoping to put Trumbo at first base wouldn’t be as concerned with his glove, but the combination of his defensive reputation, lack of OBP and a the presence of a qualifying offer will all be working against him.
More from the AL East…
- The Red Sox won’t have a late-inning baserunning specialist this postseason as they have in each of their recent World Series runs, writes WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. Boston has previously leaned on Dave Roberts, Joey Gathright and Quintin Berry to serve as a bench weapon late in postseason contests — deploying each with great success in base-stealing situations. The Sox reached out to Berry once again this season following his release from the Angels, but Berry elected to sign with the division-rival Blue Jays, who ultimately released him on Sept. 7 — after the postseason eligibility deadline. There was also some hope that Yoan Moncada could fill the role, but he’s committed a few baserunning blunders that have led the Sox to question whether he’s capable of handling such a stage, Bradford points out.
- There are more teams in the league that believe Edwin Encarnacion can still play a passable first base on an everyday basis than there are teams that believe Jose Bautista can still be an everyday right fielder, per Sportsnet’s Jeff Blair. Certainly, both Blue Jays sluggers will garner interest from American League clubs this winter given the fact that either could spend some time at DH in future seasons, but Blair also notes that there are “at least a couple” of NL teams that view Encarnacion as a viable first base option. Encarnacion, who will turn 34 this offseason, has seen considerably more time at DH than first base in the past two seasons, though it doesn’t sound as if he’ll be viewed strictly in that light this winter. Bautista, meanwhile, will turn 36 in October and has missed time with a knee sprain this season. Both Defensive Runs Saved (-9) and Ultimate Zone Rating (-5) are pessimistic about his defense.
Duquette: Trumbo’s Power “Worth A Significant Investment”
The Mariners weren’t interested in paying Mark Trumbo $9.1MM this year, so they dealt him and left-hander C.J. Riefenhauser to the Orioles last December for backup catcher Steve Clevenger. Almost a year later, it’s fair to say the Orioles made out well in the trade. Trumbo has slashed .250/.312/.526 with a major league-leading 45 home runs in 638 plate appearances, while Clevenger added little to the Mariners before earning a suspension for controversial tweets Friday.
Trumbo’s latest homer came Saturday for the contending Orioles, who picked up a 6-1 victory over the Diamondbacks to improve to 84-71. Baltimore currently holds a half-game lead on the second wild-card spot in the American League, and it’s arguable whether the team would be in a playoff position without Trumbo’s offensive output. For their part, the Orioles are thrilled with what Trumbo has contributed, as Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun writes.
“He’s an excellent veteran player,” general manager Dan Duquette said. “I really like what he’s done for our team. He’s got some really good personal qualities that add to the ballclub.”
Meanwhile, Trumbo – who has also played for the Angels and Diamondbacks – raved about his time with the Orioles.
“It’s been the most enjoyable season I’ve had … from the group of guys in the clubhouse to the winning they’ve done on the field,” Trumbo told Schmuck.
While there’s clearly respect between the two sides, it’s uncertain whether they’ll be able to work out a new deal to prevent Trumbo from leaving Baltimore as a free agent after the season. The Orioles hope Trumbo accepts a $16.7MM qualifying offer to remain with the team in 2017, per Schmuck, who notes that’s probably unrealistic. Odds are Trumbo will land a lucrative multiyear deal, but whether he’s worth one is up in the air. While the 30-year-old ranks 18th in the majors in homers (176) and 30th in ISO (.220) since debuting in 2010, he hasn’t brought much to the table aside from above-average power.
Trumbo’s subpar career walk rate (6.7 percent) has helped produce a .302 on-base percentage, and he hasn’t offered value on the base paths or defensively, having primarily lined up in the outfield and at first base. The lion’s share of Trumbo’s action this year has come in right field, and he currently rates as the majors’ 13th-worst outfielder in Defensive Runs Saved (minus-13) among those who have logged at least 500 innings. He’s also 17th from the bottom in Ultimate Zone Rating (minus-7.7).
Offensively, this season has been a tale of two halves for Trumbo. He batted an outstanding .288/.341/.582 with 28 HRs in 375 PAs before the All-Star break, but he has hit just .187/.263/.430 with a still-impressive 17 long balls in 259 trips to the plate since. In total, the package has been worth a mediocre 1.5 fWAR, though FanGraphs indicates that Trumbo has given the Orioles $12.2MM in value this season, thereby outproducing his salary.
Going forward, it’s questionable whether the career .250/.302/.470 hitter will be able to provide bang for a team’s buck on a more expensive contract. The Orioles already have one well-compensated slugger, first baseman Chris Davis, locked up through 2022 at $23MM per annum. Davis hasn’t performed to expectations in Year 1 of his deal, which could weigh on the Orioles’ minds when considering re-signing Trumbo. At the same time, they’re clearly cognizant of Trumbo’s power.
“His performance in terms of hitting the ball out of the ballpark and driving in runs is certainly worth a significant investment,” Duquette said.
Cafardo’s Latest: Orioles, Bautista, Hellickson, Reddick
The Orioles and agent Scott Boras discussed impending free agents Matt Wieters and Pedro Alvarez in a meeting last week, but no progress was made toward extensions for either, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. As a result, Wieters and Alvarez look likely to depart Baltimore at season’s end. Wieters, the Orioles’ top catcher since 2009, accepted a qualifying offer from the club for $15.7MM a year ago, but they probably won’t tender him for $16.7MM during the upcoming offseason. The 30-year-old is in the midst of one of his worst offensive seasons, having batted .241/.300/.401 in 438 plate appearances. Alvarez, a former Pirate, took a $5.75MM deal with the O’s last March and has since slashed .248/.319/.506 with 22 homers in 367 PAs. Those are right in line with the numbers the designated hitter/corner infielder regularly produced in Pittsburgh.
More from Cafardo:
- Right fielder/DH Jose Bautista‘s underwhelming showing this year could lead him to accept a qualifying offer from the Blue Jays, writes Cafardo. After terrorizing opposing pitchers from 2010-15, Bautista has hit a disappointing .233/.360/.449 with 20 homers in 484 PAs. The soon-to-be 36-year-old has also been on the disabled list multiple times. In taking a QO from the Jays, he’d have a chance to rebuild his value and make a stronger case for a high-paying deal after the 2017 season, Cafardo argues. However, that would represent a far fall for a player who reportedly wanted a long-term pact worth $30MM-plus per year last offseason.
- The Phillies and Jeremy Hellickson have mutual interest in keeping the right-hander in Philadelphia, but he might first explore the open market before making a commitment, per Cafardo. With so few capable starters primed to hit free agency in the coming months, it won’t be surprising if Hellickson does listen to other teams’ offers. Hellickson, who will turn 30 in April, has rebounded from three straight subpar seasons to post a 3.78 ERA, 7.27 K/9, 2.18 BB/9 and 14.4 percent infield pop-up rate across 185 2/3 innings this season.
- Outfielder Josh Reddick‘s less-than-stellar output with the Dodgers could cost him a significant amount of money in free agency, Cafardo contends. Reddick, whom LA acquired from Oakland before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, has batted .241/.291/.298 with one home run in 152 PAs as a Dodger. The 29-year-old was far better as a member of the Athletics, with whom he hit .257/.321/.440 and combined for 14.2 fWAR in 2,364 PAs from 2012-16. As of June, Reddick wanted in the neighborhood of $15MM per annum on a four-plus-year deal, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The A’s were offering well below that – in the three-year, $30MM range – which undoubtedly helped lead to the end of Reddick’s tenure with them.
Steve Pearce To Undergo Forearm Surgery With 4-6 Month Recovery Time
Orioles first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce will undergo surgery to repair the flexor mass in his right forearm and will be sidelined anywhere from four to six months as he recovers, manager Buck Showalter told reporters, including Rich Dubroff of CSNMidAtlantic.com (Twitter link). Certainly, as an impending free agent, that timeline is a blow to Pearce’s offseason stock. Assuming that timeline sticks, he won’t be ready until at least late January and could see his recovery linger well into Spring Training.
Viewed through a more immediate lens, Pearce’s injury is a blow to the depth of an Orioles team that is currently in possession of one of the two American League Wild Card spots and still has a chance at the division championship in the American League East (currently three games back from Boston). Pearce was outstanding when healthy this season, hitting .288/.374/.492 with 13 homers and 13 doubles in 302 plate appearances for the Rays and Orioles. Baltimore let Pearce walk this past offseason, electing instead to acquire Mark Trumbo and sign corner bats Pedro Alvarez and Hyun Soo Kim to cost-effective deals. However, the O’s picked Pearce back up in a trade that sent minor league catcher Jonah Heim to the Rays. They’ll ultimately receive just 70 plate appearances and a .217/.329/.400 slash out of their reinvestment in Pearce, though.
Had Pearce finished up the season in healthy fashion, a two-year deal could seemingly have been on the table for him, but it’s difficult now to envision the 33-year-old (34 next April) securing more than a one-year pact — likely one that is laden with incentives — on the open market. If he does make a full recovery, though, Pearce would be a tremendous value on such a deal, as he’s somewhat quietly produced a very strong .266/.348/.485 slash in 1148 plate appearances dating back to the 2013 season.
Orioles Make Three Roster Moves
The Orioles have announced a few roster moves, including placing infielder Steve Pearce on the 60-day disabled list and reinstating reliever Darren O’Day from the 15-day DL. The club has also purchased the contract of first baseman Trey Mancini from Triple-A Norfolk.
[RELATED: Updated Orioles Depth Chart]
Before sending him to the DL and ending his season, the Orioles shut down Pearce indefinitely Wednesday on account of a right flexor mass strain. Manager Buck Showalter said then that Pearce was a possibility to return later this month, but that won’t be the case. This injury could wrap up Pearce’s second tenure with the Orioles, who acquired him from the Rays prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline. The impending free agent hit an outstanding .309/.388/.520 and mashed 10 home runs in 232 plate appearances with Tampa Bay this year, but his numbers dipped in Baltimore as he dealt with an elbow injury.
Pearce batted .217/.329/.400 with three homers in 70 PAs as a member of the Orioles and could end up hitting the open market, where the soon-to-be 34-year-old would try to outdo the $4.75MM deal he signed with the Rays last winter. First, though, Pearce will have to go undergo forearm surgery, which will require a four- to six-month recovery, Rich Dubroff of CSN Mid-Atlantic tweets.
O’Day, meanwhile, hasn’t taken a major league mound since mid-August because of a right shoulder cuff strain. While his return is a welcome one for an Orioles team with a three-game lead on an American League wild-card spot, O’Day hasn’t been as effective this year as he was in previous seasons. Injuries have been a problem, as O’Day was previously on the DL from early June until the end of July thanks to a hamstring strain. When O’Day has pitched, he has issued 4.3 walks per nine innings, more than doubling his 2015 rate and contributing to a jump in his ERA from 1.52 to 3.95. On the positive side, O’Day has posted a posted a terrific 10.87 K/9.
Mancini, whom the Orioles selected in the eighth round of the 2013 draft, has done nothing but produce since joining the organization. After hitting .280/.349/.427 with 13 home runs in 536 Triple-A plate appearances this season, he could be in line to make his major league debut. MLBPipeline.com ranks the 24-year-old as the Orioles’ fifth-best prospect and praises his offensive abilities.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Wieters, Cardinals, Leon, Twins
Some news items from the latest Full Count video clip from FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal…
- The Orioles are meeting with Matt Wieters‘ agent Scott Boras this week to discuss a contract extension, though Rosenthal is doubtful Wieters will remain in Baltimore. The Nationals will have interest in signing Wieters if their own notable free agent catcher (Wilson Ramos) leaves, and Rosenthal also cites the Mets, White Sox and Braves as possible candidates to pursue Wieters. The Braves have perhaps a bit of a geographic advantage, as Wieters is from South Carolina and played college ball at Georgia Tech.
- The Cardinals aren’t likely to lose draft picks as punishment for the data breach of the Astros’ computer network. The league would have to negotiate a reduction of draft picks (and, perhaps most importantly, the Cardinals’ available draft bonus spending pool) with the players’ union since the draft rules are part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Rosenthal believes that the league could instead punish via the Cards via other methods, such as a fine.
- Nobody saw Sandy Leon‘s slugging breakout with the Red Sox coming, including the Nationals, who dealt Leon to Boston in a minor cash deal in March 2015. Rosenthal notes that the Nats are hardly the only team who missed on Leon — literally any club could’ve claimed him when the Sox designated the catcher for assignment in July 2015.
- Cubs senior VP Jason McLeod (whose mother is from Samoa) is the only known minority candidate in the Twins‘ front office search. Rosenthal figures more are probably in the mix, given that Minnesota has hired the same search firm used by Major League Baseball itself last year to prepare female and minority candidates for baseball operations jobs.
No Extension Talks Currently Planned Between Orioles, Zach Britton
Scott Boras, agent for star Orioles closer Zach Britton, doesn’t think the club will be looking to pursue an extension with his client in the near future, Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports. Britton has two more years of arbitration eligibility before he hits free agency in the 2018-2019 offseason.
With so much team control remaining, it perhaps isn’t surprising that the O’s are prioritizing other business before getting around to a long-term deal with Britton. Extending Britton now would also be something of a buy-high move given that the closer is in the midst of perhaps his most dominating season yet — an 0.60 ERA, 9.8 K/9 and 3.57 K/BB rate over 60 1/3 innings, plus a stunning 80.4% ground ball rate and a career-best 96.3 mph average fastball velocity. Britton is a perfect 44-for-44 in save opportunities in 2016.
Needless to say, Britton will be getting a healthy raise in his third year of arbitration eligibility. Britton and the O’s avoided arbitration in his first two arb years by agreeing to salaries of $3.2MM for 2015 and $6.75MM for this season. As a Super Two player, Britton is on track for yet another big arbitration payday following the 2017 campaign; if he continues on his current pace, he could be looking at a 2017 salary in the neighborhood of $12-13MM.
Having already achieved quite a bit of financial security, Britton has some negotiating leverage on his side. It could also help he (and Boras) in waiting to discuss an extension until after this offseason, as Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen are poised to set new standards for reliever contracts.
From Baltimore’s perspective, there are some arguments for exploring an extension now. Locking Britton up to even a two-year deal through his remaining arb years would get the team some cost certainty. The Orioles have traditionally been wary about signing pitchers to a significant multi-year deals, though they’re more comfortable doing so when it’s an arm they’re already familiar with (i.e. Darren O’Day‘s four-year contract last winter). Britton also doesn’t carry a significant health risk; as MLBTR contributor Bradley Woodrum outlined in his study of Tommy John injuries earlier this year, there is a well below-average chance Britton will eventually require TJ surgery.
Orioles, Scott Boras To Discuss Matt Wieters Extension
Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette is scheduled to meet with agent Scott Boras about a possible extension for catcher Matt Wieters, according to Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com. The 30-year-old is slated to qualify for free agency after the season.
Boras suggests to Connolly that there is at least some level of mutual interest in a new contract for Wieters, who has spent his entire career with the Baltimore organization. Most recently, he accepted a $15.8MM qualifying offer to stay with the club rather than going onto the open market last winter.
Things haven’t gone quite as team or player hoped in 2016. He has been healthy, appearing in 110 games, but hasn’t produced to his typical levels at the plate. Over 412 plate appearances, Wieters owns a .243/.299/.402 triple-slash, though he has hit 14 long balls.
According to Boras, those offensive woes aren’t a long-term concern. The agent is famed for his analogies, of course, and chose a somewhat odd one to describe the veteran backstop.
“This guy is General Jackson and General Lee,” said Boras. “He is the North and the South. He can do it all. He is all-around.”
It is certainly notable that the sides are set to discuss a new contract, as Wieters was expected to play an interesting role on the upcoming free agent market. He may still do so, but if not, he’d join Francisco Cervelli among catchers who signed new deals rather than testing the open waters — considerably thinning the overall crop and perhaps boosting the stock of top options like Wilson Ramos and Jason Castro.
It seems unlikely that the O’s will again extend Wieters a qualifying offer after his down year with the bat, though perhaps that can’t be discounted entirely. Certainly, this year’s anticipated $16.7MM qualifying offer cost seems a bit high for a player who has produced at about 17% below league average.
Notably, too, Boras represents ace Orioles closer Zach Britton and pending free agent slugger Pedro Alvarez. Connolly suggest that both could come up in talks, as well. Britton has two remaining years of arbitration control remaining and will be due a raise commensurate with his unbelievable campaign, so he’ll present an interesting case this winter. And Alvarez is set to go back into free agency after a productive year, with the Orioles potentially having continued interest — particularly with Mark Trumbo also readying to weigh offers from other organizations.